1. Technical Field
This invention relates to the field of computer user interface systems and more particularly to a system for providing rapid access to applications, directories and the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Graphical user interfaces for computers have become widely used and accepted in recent years, particularly those systems which permit a single display device to present information in two or more discrete areas on a single screen. These discrete areas, often referred to as "windows" can be used to present information to a user in the form of text, drawings etc. For convenience, the information presented in a particular window shall herein be referred to as a "work object", since it is generally displayed to a user so that a particular action can be performed with respect thereto, such as reading, entering data, or manipulating the content of such window. For the purpose of implementing a graphical user interface, it has become common to provide means by which a user can point to objects or icons on screen by moving a displayed pointer cursor so that it is positioned over a particular graphical user interface element, and causing the computer system to respond in some manner associated with that particular user interface element. The icons or user interface elements represent applications, or other program files and are located on a display area commonly called the "desktop". Movement of the cursor can be accomplished by means of physical manipulation of a pointer device, such as a mouse, joystick or keyboards direction control keys. Pointer control signals can be provided by, for example, clicking on a mouse signaling button, striking a key, etc. Various methods and systems are available for implementing such graphical user interface systems as is well known to computer programmers in this field. However, one problem with such systems is that the presence of applications programs displayed on the display screen may obscure or cover a portion of the desktop where icons are located. Since conventional icons tend to be relatively large, they cannot remain in the foreground of the desktop or they would interfere with the use and operation of the application then running.
In the past, the number of interactive windows which could practically be displayed to a user on a display device was severely limited by considerations such as computer processing speed, available memory, and operating system architecture. In recent years, however, computers and their operating systems have become considerably more advanced, with the result that it is now possible to have many individual windows which may appear on the screen area. As a result, the available area for displaying windows on a screen will often be at a premium and must be carefully managed. Further, although screen resolution is continually improving, there are practical usability limitations which must be considered when reducing the physical size of work objects relative to the overall display screen. Thus, it has been a matter of continuing concern to develop new methods for obtaining the maximum benefit from the available screen area.
It is conventional to include a "toolbar" or some equivalent thereof to help keep track of active applications and files. The toolbar is typically provided in the form of a discrete window which facilitates access to commonly used applications and other objects. For example, the OS/2 operating system provides what is referred to as the "Launchpad", and the Windows95 operating system provides a "Taskbar". In the case of the Windows95, this toolbar includes a "Start" button which allows access to programs and an adjacent icon display area which displays the icon for any programs then running. One problem with toolbars such as the one implemented in Windows95 is that the icons on the toolbar do not have specifically assigned locations. Instead, the icon locations are typically arranged in the order in which they were launched. This can be a serious problem when a number of applications are running at once, as it causes difficulty in locating the various icons in the toolbar icon display area. Another problem with conventional toolbars concerns the amount of area or "screen real estate" that the toolbar absorbs on the desktop. This problem frequently occurs when a user arranges his toolbar settings so that the toolbar is always visible on an area of the screen, regardless of what other programs may be running. This arrangement is advantageous as it permits most convenient access to the toolbar; however, it also represents a waste of valuable screen real estate when the toolbar is not being actively used. Ideally, it would be desirable to provide a system which provides the ease of access offered by conventional toolbars but preserves a maximum amount of screen real estate for display of work objects on the desktop and windows relating to application programs in use by a user.
Programs such as Windows 95 permit a user to also cause a program to be executed by making use of the so called "Start" button provided on the toolbar. By making use of the "Start" button feature, a user can cause a series of directories and program menus to be displayed. The user may indicate a selected program from among those displayed by activating the buttons associated with a pointing device, such as a mouse. Significantly, however, the "Start" button feature also tends to be somewhat inconvenient to use, requiring a user to scroll through two or more sets of menus, searching for the particular program desired. Accordingly, it would also be desirable to provide an improved means for locating a program to be executed as compared to the "Start" menu system which is currently available.
The Windows95 Operating system also includes a feature called shortcuts which can place a duplicate icon on the desktop, for example, so that the "Start" button menu can be avoided. However, such shortcuts suffer from the same problems as conventional icons in that they require an excessive amount of screen area and are not always at the top of the Z-order on the display.
Finally, screen real estate can often be at a premium in current computer operating systems. The various icons, window, menu keys, and the like can increase the cognitive load on a user engaged in use of the computer. Accordingly, it would also be desirable to provide a method which permits efficient access to programs while simultaneously reducing screen clutter and results in a simplified screen display.